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The Perseid meteor shower is a popular phenomenon where meteors fall to Earth from space during a specific season. This year's peak is expected to occur on August 11th and 13th, but it may occur anytime until the end of the week in August. Visibility is largely influenced by local weather conditions. Perseid meteors are remnants of the comet Swift-Tuttle, which follows an elliptical orbit around the Sun that takes 133 years to complete. Although there were concerns about the comet potentially colliding with Earth or the moon in the 1990s, more precise calculations have determined that there is no risk to Earth for at least another two thousand years.
Is Perseid Meteor Shower Harmful?
The Perseid meteor shower is not dangerous to Earth as most meteors disintegrate in the atmosphere, and some can produce minor fireballs. The shower is known for its fast and luminous movements across the night sky, with almost 100 meteors visible every hour. The meteor shower is a unique sight, with fireballs or larger bursts of color and light that last longer than usual meteor streaks.
When Does Perseid Meteor Shower Occur?
Perseids, typically fast and luminous, create a path of color and light as they move across the night sky. During the yearly Perseid meteor shower on August 12, 2016 in Spruce Knob, West Virginia, a photographer wipes the camera lenses as a meteor streaks across the sky in a 30-second exposure.
Perseids are well-known for their fireballs or larger bursts of color and light that last longer than the usual meteor streaks because they are made of larger particles containing cometary materials.
During the yearly Perseid meteor shower on August 13, 2015, a meteor is seen moving rapidly across the sky in a 30-second exposure taken in Spruce Knob, West Virginia.
The material that crashes into our atmosphere, causing the formation of Perseids, originates from a Comet known as 109/Swift-Tuttle. Giovanni Schiaparelli, an Italian astronomer, is recognised for discovering the relationship between comets and meteor showers.
The comet, which was discovered in 1862 by astronomers Lewis Swift and Horace Tuttle, has a nucleus spanning 26 km in diameter. Research in 2013, revealed that Perseid meteor shower produces the most number of fireballs in a meteor shower.
How To Observe Perseid Meteor Shower?
The Perseid Meteors are visible from any location in the Northern Hemisphere. In order to witness this awe-inspiring event, it is recommended to locate a remote area away from urban areas to avoid interference from city lights and pollution.
If you can`t find a location, you could consider using an interactive light pollution map like the ones on lightpollutionmap. If you can't witness the Perseid in person, you can go to the YouTube channel provided to watch the shower live.
Astrophysicist Gianluca Masi from the Virtual Telescope Project is providing a live broadcast of the highly anticipated meteor shower.
Observing Perseid Meteor Shower in India
In India, the Perseid meteor shower is visible under comparable circumstances. To observe the Perseid meteor shower, it is recommended to locate a remote area away from urban areas to avoid interference from city lights and pollution. If unable to witness the event in person, a live broadcast can be watched on YouTube. In India, the meteor shower is also visible under similar circumstances.
